A BILL to amend and reenact §15-10-4 of the Code of West Virginia,
1931, as amended, relating to removing a twelve-month
limitation for certain agreements between or among law-
enforcement agencies to remain in effect; and permitting
agreements between or among different law-enforcement agencies
to remain in effect unless terminated.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

That §15-10-4 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended,
be amended and reenacted to read as follows:

ARTICLE 10. COOPERATION BETWEEN LAW-ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES.

§15-10-4. Cooperation between law-enforcement agencies and other
groups of state or local law-enforcement officers.

(a) The head of any law-enforcement agency, the head of any
campus police or the head of the rangers of the Hatfield-McCoy
regional recreational authority, as those terms are defined in
section three of this article, may temporarily provide assistance
and cooperation to another agency of the state criminal justice
system or to a federal law-enforcement agency in investigating
crimes or possible criminal activity if requested to do so in
writing by the head of another law-enforcement agency or federal
law-enforcement agency. Such assistance may also be provided upon
the request of the head of the law-enforcement agency or federal
law-enforcement agency without first being reduced to writing in
emergency situations involving the imminent risk of loss of life or
serious bodily injury. The assistance may include, but is not
limited to, entering into a multijurisdictional task force
agreement to integrate federal, state, county and municipal
law-enforcement agencies or other groups of state or local
law-enforcement officers, or any combination thereof, for the
purpose of enhancing interagency coordination, intelligence
gathering, facilitating multijurisdictional investigations,
providing criminal justice enforcement personnel of the
law-enforcement agency to work temporarily with personnel of
another agency, including in an undercover capacity, and making
available equipment, training, technical assistance and information
systems for the more efficient investigation, apprehension and
adjudication of persons who violate the criminal laws of this state
or the United States, and to assist the victims of such crimes.
When providing the assistance under the provisions of this article,
a head of a law-enforcement agency shall comply with all applicable
statutes, ordinances, rules, policies or guidelines officially
adopted by the state or the governing body of the city or county by
which he or she is employed, and any conditions or restrictions
included therein.

(b) While temporarily assigned to work with another
law-enforcement agency or agencies, criminal justice enforcement
personnel and other state and local law-enforcement officers shall
have the same jurisdiction, powers, privileges and immunities,
including those relating to the defense of civil actions, as such
criminal justice enforcement personnel would enjoy if actually
employed by the agency to which they are assigned, in addition to
any corresponding or varying jurisdiction, powers, privileges and
immunities conferred by virtue of their continued employment with
the assisting agency.

(c) While assigned to another agency or to a
multijurisdictional task force, criminal justice enforcement
personnel and other state and local law-enforcement officers shall
be subject to the lawful operational commands of the superior
officers of the agency or task force to which they are assigned,
but for personnel and administrative purposes, including
compensation, they shall remain under the control of the assisting
agency. These assigned personnel shall continue to be covered by
all employee rights and benefits provided by the assisting agency,
including workers' compensation, to the same extent as though such
personnel were functioning within the normal scope of their duties.

(d) No request or agreement between the heads of
law-enforcement agencies, the heads of campus police or the head of
the rangers of the Hatfield-McCoy regional recreation authority,
made or entered into pursuant to the provisions of this article
shall remain in force and effect for a period of more than twelve
months unless renewed in writing by the parties thereto nor shall
any request or agreement made or entered into pursuant to the
provisions of this article have force or effect until a copy of
said request or agreement is filed with the office of the circuit
clerk of the county or counties in which the law-enforcement
agencies, the campus police, or the Hatfield-McCoy regional
recreation authority rangers involved operate. Agreements made
pursuant to this article shall remain in effect unless and until
the agreement is changed or withdrawn by the head of one of the
law-enforcement agencies. Upon filing, the requests or agreements
may be sealed, subject to disclosure pursuant to an order of a
circuit court directing disclosure for good cause. Nothing in this
article shall be construed to limit the authority of the head of a
law-enforcement agency, the head of campus police or the head of
the rangers of the Hatfield-McCoy regional recreation authority to
withdraw from any agreement at any time.

(e) Nothing contained in this article shall be construed so as
to grant, increase, decrease or in any manner affect the civil
service protection or the applicability of civil service laws as to
any criminal justice enforcement personnel, or as to any state or
local law-enforcement officer or agency operating under the
authority of this article, nor shall this article in any way reduce
or increase the jurisdiction or authority of any criminal justice
enforcement personnel, or of any state or local law-enforcement
officer or agency, except as specifically provided herein.

(f) Nothing contained in this article shall be construed so as
to authorize the permanent consolidation or merger or the
elimination of operations of participating federal, state, county
municipal law-enforcement agencies, or other groups of state and
local law-enforcement officers, the head campus police or the head
of the rangers of the Hatfield-McCoy regional recreation authority.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to remove a twelve-month
limitation for certain agreements between or among law-enforcement
agencies to remain in effect. The bill also permits agreements
between or among different law-enforcement agencies to remain in
effect unless terminated.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from
the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would
be added.